The invention relates to automated substrate processing systems and methods.
An automated substrate processing system typically includes a vacuum chamber with a support mechanism for supporting a substrate during processing, and an automated transfer mechanism, such as a robotic device. In operation, the transfer mechanism loads and unloads substrates into and out of the vacuum chamber. Over time, substrates may become misaligned with respect to the processing system. Significant substrate misalignment may reduce the number of devices that can be formed on a particular substrate or may cause the substrate to break inside the vacuum chamber. When a substrate breaks inside a vacuum chamber, the chamber must be opened and exposed to atmospheric pressure, the chamber must be cleaned, and the chamber must be pumped back down to a sub-atmospheric pressure suitable for processing. Such a procedure may take up to twenty-four hours to complete, significantly delaying the time during which the system can be used to process substrates.